


Lonely Dogs

by Vena



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Blood, Dead/Undead AU, Decapitation, Guns, M/M, Violence typical of zombie fights; nothing too graphic though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:26:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29627682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vena/pseuds/Vena
Summary: It wasn’t like the guy made many friends, with how often he drifted in and out of town. They were alike in that regard. It was easier to do business with people if he didn’t get too attached. But here he was, far too attached to the man at his side for his own good. Two lonely dogs who sometimes found a companion in each other.
Relationships: Doggie/Ivan, Hyoudou Juuza/Settsu Banri
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	Lonely Dogs

**Author's Note:**

> there is a lack of dead/undead fics here and i will probably write more in the future bc i really like ivan and doggie ;v; this was just supposed to be a little thing of them fighting zombies and it got out of hand like everything i write LOL i do wish we had a little more detail on the setting, or more than one scene of these two interacting, but what can ya do haha. this was fun to write, though it is unbeta'd so i hope everything's okay! also sorry about the ending i have been trying to figure out how to end it for DAYS and i just want it to be dONE so it is not the best

Things had been quiet lately. Depending on who you asked, that could be a good or bad thing. For the Average Joe doing their best to survive in the hellscape their world had become, a moment of rest was a much needed reprieve from the constant onslaught of the undead. Not many stragglers were blowing into what was left of the city either, so it was hard to say what was going on in the world beyond their foothold of civilization. For an information broker like Doggie, that meant business had slowed to a crawl. Little coming in, little going out. The only piece of excitement was a bit of news he picked up that his favorite customer was bound to be interested in. 

A new sighting of Red. 

Ivan was always willing to pay any price for even a hint of the zombie’s trail, and over the years Doggie had grown a bit of a soft spot for the guy. Sure, he didn’t see the point in trying to avenge a dead brother when the thing that did it probably didn’t even remember the incident after two years of wandering the wasteland, but he understood the sentimentality behind it. It was probably what was going to get Ivan killed one of these days, though, and Doggie would be lying if he said he wouldn’t miss the hunter’s company.

Which was why he wasn’t sure if he should pass that information on the next time Ivan showed his face. The tip he’d gotten was more of a rumor as it was, and the area of the supposed sighting was a place even the cleaning crews rarely ventured into these days. And Ivan, stupid, headstrong, vengeful Ivan, would march in there without a second thought all on his own for even the  _ chance  _ Red was actually hanging around. 

“Yo,” a familiar voice called, snapping Doggie from his thoughts. Speak of the devil. He turned toward the man calling to him, giving Ivan a brief wave from where he was leaning against the wall. “Don’t you ever get tired of hangin’ around dingy alleyways? It smells like shit back here.”

“‘S not much worse than anywhere else in the city,” Doggie shrugged. “People don’t exactly wanna chat with an information broker in the saloon if they’re discussin' something they don’t want overheard.” 

“Makes it a pain in the ass to find you sometimes though,” Ivan laughed, leaning against the wall across from Doggie. The broker observed the tired look in his eyes. Since he’d come to find him again, that must mean his last tip hadn’t amounted to much. “Couldn’t you at least hang out in the same alley so I don't gotta trawl the whole city?”

“I make just as many enemies as I do friends, y’know. Can’t just hang out in the same place every day waitin' for them to find me.” 

“Guess not. Suppose that  _ is  _ why they call you Doggie, huh? ” 

“Aw, fuck off.” 

Ivan flashed him a grin at that. Doggie tried to ignore the way his chest seized at the expression. “Before I do, I found somethin’ on my last excursion I think you’ll like.” He tapped the cloth sack that was tied tightly to his belt that Doggie’d had his eye on since the other man had approached him. 

“Oh? Better be something really good, ya cheap bastard.” Doggie couldn’t help his own smile as Ivan began to untie it from his waist. Doggie’s ears perked up when he thought he heard the sound of a liquid swishing around at the movement.

“Damn mutt, your last lead sent me on a wild goose chase so you’ve got no right to talk,” Ivan grumbled, slowly lowering the fabric and revealing an intact, if not slightly dirty, unopened bottle of whiskey. Now  _ that  _ was a sight for sore eyes. It must have been written on his face, because Ivan’s annoying (heart stopping) smirk spread over his features once more. “Dunno if you deserve it, though. I really should just drink the whole thing by myself.”

“If ya came here just to rub that shit in my face ya can start lookin’ for another broker because that’ll be the end of our partnership,'' Doggie threatened. Ivan just rolled his eyes and shook the bottle teasingly, the cool amber liquid sloshing about a bit. 

“Depends. You got what I’m lookin’ for?” Was Doggie really going to give him a dangerous rumor just for a drop of drink that didn’t cost a fortune? 

“Guess that depends too. How’s it taste?”

“I take it that’s a yes,” Ivan chuckled, wrapping the bottle back up and tucking it against his side. “Usual spot then?”

“Yeah.” 

Doggie grabbed his bat from where he’d kept it hidden behind an overturned trash can and slung it over his shoulder as he led the way out of the alley. He could hear Ivan’s footsteps behind him so he didn’t bother to check that he was following, taking the usual few detours through abandoned buildings and other areas of low foot traffic just to ensure they weren’t being followed. 

“Hurry it up, Doggie,” Ivan called from behind. He could be annoying when he wanted to be.

“Shut up, asshole. If we get followed I’m lettin’  _ you  _ deal with ‘em.” 

“Bring it on! You think I can’t take on a couple of guys when I take out zombies every other day?” And here came the bragging. 

“They’d still know where my hideout is, moron. If you just knock ‘em out, they’d come back with ten more guys. Guess ya could kill ‘em if you wanted, but then you’d never be able to set foot in town again.” He could hear Ivan scoff from behind him. 

“Whatever. There ain’t nobody back here but me is all I’m sayin’, and I’ve been on my feet for days.” 

“Let’s get ya off your feet and on your ass then,” Doggie chuckled, finally setting them on the path to where they were really headed. After ducking down a few more alleyways he stopped in front of a large pile of debris before he began shoving the junk to the side to reveal a hidden door. Ivan, the bastard, simply stood and watched with an amused expression on his stupid face instead of making himself useful and helping. “Gee, thanks.”

“Always happy to serve,” Ivan saluted, following Doggie inside and carefully closing the door behind them.

"Go sit your ass down; I'll be there in a sec," Doggie grumbled as he began propping a few planks of wood into the latch he’d built into the door to lock it as securely as he could. He heard Ivan’s boots scrape down the hall as he took a seat at the bar, Doggie following not too far behind. 

“Thank god,” Ivan groaned in relief, setting the bottle down and making himself comfortable. Doggie snorted as he rifled through the cabinet behind the counter until he pulled out two glasses. One had a small crack, but these were all he’d been able to salvage. He wished they had some ice, but the electricity to this part of town had been cut long ago and he hadn’t seen a shard of it since last winter. Just another little thing he used to take for granted.

“Where’d ya find this stuff, anyway?” Doggie asked, setting the glasses on the counter and pulling the bottle over.

“It was in an abandoned liquor store a couple of towns over.” Ivan scoffed. “Y’know, the town you last heard Red was spotted. Didn’t find that fucker, but I  _ did  _ find this under some old cardboard in the back of the storage room.”

“Guess it wasn’t all bad then, was it?” Doggie chuckled. He firmly gripped the cap, working it back and forth until it popped out after a harsh final tug.

“Woulda rather found Red, but I can’t complain too much I guess,” Ivan shrugged. “Speaking of. Any news?” That was fast. This guy sure knew how to get to the point.

“Been pretty quiet around here since ya left.” Doggie poured a fair amount of the amber liquid into each cup, closing his eyes to relish in the smell of it. It’d been months since he’d last been lucky enough to have a sip. “Might’ve heard somethin’. Really not more than a rumor, though.”

“And? What’s the rumor say?” Ivan pressed, snatching the uncracked glass toward him. Dick. 

“Didn’t I say it’d depend on how the booze tastes?” Doggie finished filling his own glass, setting the bottle aside as he picked it up. He stared down at it, glad to be staring into the cup and not into Ivan’s burning blue eyes. 

“Always stingy. I dunno how you manage to stay in business if this is how you treat your customers.” Ivan took a long swig after that, wincing a little once he slammed his glass back down.

“Good thing I don’t treat all my clients like that then.” Which was true. He’d never let another customer into this location. He probably shouldn’t have led Ivan here, either, but he figured there wasn’t much reason for the guy to sell him out. Not like there were many information dealers in town anyway, let alone ones who would go out of their way to sniff up leads on Red.

“So I’m special, huh?” Ivan teased, a sharp grin drawing Doggie’s eye again. He really needed to stop looking so closely at his face.

“Think what ya want.” Ivan laughed at him while Doggie took a drink, the warm whiskey burning a path down his throat and into his gut. He really wished they had ice.

“Not bad, huh?”

“Passable. Better than the beer they’ve been trying to make over on tenth street, at least.” 

Ivan made an awful retching sound. Doggie agreed.

“Pretty sure they’re just serving piss. I couldn’t take more than a single drink of that shit.”

Their eyes met with a shared grin, and they lightly clinked their glasses together in a small toast.

“To stale whiskey,” Doggie said. Ivan gave a ‘here, here!’ as they both took another drink. 

As drinks were had and time passed, Ivan told stories about the abandoned town he’d just visited. It was good info; The area had been fairly quiet as well, but that may as well have been because there was no one still living there. The undead had moved on for the most part, likely in search of their next meal. Ivan had taken out a couple of stragglers, which meant the area may be a target of interest for the cleaning crews since it hadn’t been fully overrun in some time. 

It wasn’t just the information, though. Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but it was nice to have Ivan here. To bask in the warmth his presence brought. It wasn’t like they were particularly close, but even dogs got lonely now and then. 

As he listened, he let his eyes wander. How did he manage to keep his hair in such good shape? It looked kind of soft; if he hadn’t been in the middle recounting how he’d had to outwit a zombie that had trapped him in a house he’d been searching, he may have asked about it. His eyes slid over to Ivan’s earrings, glinting brightly in the beams of mid-afternoon light that had managed to filter in through a few cracks in the boarded windows. He’d always thought they really suited Ivan. ...He should really fill in the holes on the windows soon. 

And here he was again, drawn back to Ivan’s eyes despite how hard he’d been trying not to stare. It wasn’t his fault it was so easy to drown in those sapphire blues. Ugh. He’d definitely had too much to drink. At this rate, he might wind up doing something stupid. Ivan must have finally noticed him staring, because suddenly there’s a gloved hand waving in his face and Doggie is snapped out of his trance.

“Yo! Earth to Doggie? You really that much of a lightweight?” Ivan laughed as Doggie half-heartedly slapped his hand away. “Bet you were fun at parties!” 

“And you were? Bet ya were the guy who never knew his limits and always wound up in some stupid drinkin' contest that wound up with you passed out on the floor or in the bathroom barfing your guts out.” That must have hit somewhat close to the mark if the way his face scrunched up was any indication, and that felt good. 

“Fuck off! You’re talkin’ some awfully big shit for somebody who’s getting tipsy off a single glass!” Maybe he had a point. 

“ _ You  _ fuck off! There’s a lot in this cup. It’s supposed to be half ice, y’know?” Doggie downed the rest of his drink, pouring a bit more in the cup. He probably shouldn’t, because who knew when some kind of emergency could happen, but now he felt like he had to prove a point. 

“Excuses. Bet I could drink you under the table any day.” And there it was. Looks like Doggie’s intuition was spot on. 

“Knew it. Think I’m gonna fall for that?” 

“Thought you were a dog. Looks like you’re just a chicken though, huh?” Okay. That was it.

“I’ll show- What’s the winner get?” There wouldn’t be much point to this stupid game otherwise. 

“Bragging rights for eternity.” That sounded decent enough. “But...let’s say the winner gets to tell the loser what to do for a day.” Now  _ that  _ sounded interesting. 

“Sure, but don’t come cryin’ to me when ya gotta clean all my shit and run all my errands. Might make ya do somethin’ fun, too, like walk your ass down main street naked.” Doggie probably  _ wouldn’t  _ do that, but it was fun to see the rise that got out of Ivan. 

“Maybe I’ll have you clean the dirt off my boots with your tongue,” Ivan laughed, “or maybe you’ll have to act like an actual mutt for a day? Have you play fetch with your bat?” Doggie rolled his eyes. 

“Try any of that shit, and ya can find some other bastard to sell you info.” 

Ivan just laughed louder as he topped off both of their glasses. Maybe they were both already a little tipsy.

“Aww, don’t call yourself that. You’re just an asshole at worst.” Doggie snorted at that as he pulled his cup back over to himself. 

“Thanks. Glad to hear that from another asshole.” They both laughed at that as they locked eyes for a staggeringly long moment before throwing their drinks back. It really wasn’t the way to properly enjoy a rare find like decent booze, but there was no stopping a competition when the two of them got like this. 

Insults that slurred more and more were hurled between them as the bottle of whiskey was slowly drained. If Doggie had been tipsy before he was definitely drunk now. Everything was fuzzy around the edges and his head was pulsing, and it was hard to focus on much besides trying to finish what was left in his cup, and staring at Ivan’s. He’d already finished this round and Doggie was struggling.

“‘S that all ya got...ya damn mutt?” Ivan muttered, tapping the side of his empty glass slowly, lacking his usual coordination. “Toldja I’d win..!”

“Shuddup…” Doggie grumbled, taking another small sip and willing his stomach to keep it down. “Too loud..”

Ivan leaned over into his space, plastering himself against Doggie’s side which was now distracting him far more than the contents of his cup. “C’mon…’f ya don’t hurry I’m gonna....” A pause to let out a long breath. “Disqualify you.” Doggie tried to nudge the other man off of him, but that just seemed to make him even more boneless. 

“If ya don’t stop talkin’....I’m...gonna…” What  _ was  _ he going to do? He already couldn’t remember.

“Gonna what..?” Ivan moved impossibly closer, resting his chin on Doggie’s shoulder. Doggie’s grip on his glass tightened, and he took another sip before making a gagging sound. Ivan mercifully pulled back, grinning. “That it?” 

“Fuck off,” Doggie insisted, keeping his eyes on the remnants of alcohol still left in his cup. There was too much riding on this. If he had to take another drink, though, he didn’t know if he could keep it down. He could feel the liquid sloshing around in his gut as he swayed a little, and he lowered his head to the counter with a dull thunk. “Dammit.” 

“Hell yeah!” Ivan cheered, nearly knocking his own empty glass over as he threw his arms up in victory. 

“Watch it….y’dick,” Doggie slurred, pushing his own glass away as he rested his cheek against the cool wood of the counter. “If ya break that glass y’owe me a new one.” 

“It’s fine,” Ivan laughed, slinging an arm over Doggie’s shoulder and pulling him up off the counter and against his side. What the hell was he doing? “Nothin’.” Ah. Doggie must have said that out loud. “As winner I get to make you do whatever though so...just stay here a sec.”

“Fine,” Doggie mumbled, resting his head against Ivan’s shoulder. Might as well make himself comfortable if he was gonna be stuck here. What he didn’t expect was Ivan to rest his cheek on his head from there. He was warm. Not very comfortable, but only because there was a large gap between them. He sighed loudly. “Can we at least move t’one of the booths?” At least then they could get more comfortable.

“Huh? Oh…..Yeah. Sure you can make it over there?” Ivan snorted, patting his back before moving away. Doggie kind of missed the touch. 

“Shut up n’ watch me.” Doggie slid off the seat, his head swimming as his boots hit the ground. He steadied himself as he clung to the counter, throwing a middle finger at the chuckle he heard from behind him. 

“You’re gonna eat shit,” Ivan called, slowly getting off his chair as well. He seemed to be having an easier time of it, but he wasn’t able to stand perfectly still either. 

“‘M fine.” To prove his point, Doggie took a few steps toward the booth in the corner, but had to stop as his head pounded. “Fuck.” Of course, that was Ivan’s cue to laugh at him. 

“Let’s go, mutt,” he said, draping Doggie’s arm over his shoulder as he helped lead him over to the table. 

“Don’t need yer help,” Doggie growled, though he allowed himself to be half dragged toward the corner regardless. 

“‘Kay.” Ivan withdrew his arms and Doggie swore as he started tipping toward the ground. He tried to find purchase on Ivan’s shirt but his coordination was far past the point of being able to get a good grip and he hit the floor with a dull thud. “What was that? I thought you said we’re goin’ to the table.”

Doggie sighed loudly, taking a few steadying breaths before sitting up. He cast a glare back up at Ivan, a weird feeling pulsing in his chest at the exasperated fondness on the other man’s face. What did that mean? God, was he drunk.

“...Fine.” Doggie held a hand out toward Ivan, who grinned as he grabbed it and helped pull Doggie back to his feet. The tug almost sent Ivan off balance too but they both clung to each other and kept on their feet. Their eyes met and they exchanged another laugh before shuffling their way over to the booth. Ivan helped lower Doggie onto the chair, and it took a lot moving around to scoot himself further into the booth without face planting again. He expected Ivan to take the seat opposite to him, but to his surprise he slid into the booth right next to him. “‘S more room over there, idiot.”

“Sure.” He didn’t elaborate. Doggie gave him a look but Ivan only shrugged. “I won, right? So I can sit where I want.” That was, unfortunately, true. And to his further surprise, Ivan tugged him back onto his shoulder again. This was a lot more comfortable than it was over at the bar, and Doggie was in no state to ignore how warm Ivan’s solid body felt next to him. He melted against his side, and quietly delighted in the spark that ran through him as Ivan gently squeezed his shoulder.

“Thought ya wanted me ta lick yer boots?” Doggie asked, Ivan snorting as he rested his head against Doggie’s again. Doggie wasn’t sure what he should be doing with his own hands, so he kept them in his own lap. 

“We’ve got twenty-four hours, right? I’ll have you do that after a nap. ‘M tired as hell.” Right. He probably hadn’t rested much after trekking back to the city. 

“‘S more comfortable if you lay down on the other seat,” Doggie pointed out. He felt more than saw Ivan shrug as he leaned into Doggie more. 

“Pretty comfortable here already. Don’t move, okay?” Not like Doggie would be able to anyway, with Ivan blocking the entrance. 

He hummed an affirmative, closing his eyes and focusing on all of the points of contact their bodies were sharing. The arm around his shoulder. The press of his side against him. The cheek that he could almost swear was nuzzling a little against the top of his head. The warmth in his body was probably just because of the alcohol. It was definitely just because he hadn’t been this close to another person since before the apocalypse started two years ago. Nothing special about Ivan at all.

His last conscious thought was that this was...nice.

* * *

Doggie woke up abruptly when was unceremoniously shoved into the wall. He grunted in pain and confusion, not sure what exactly was happening. Was he under attack? Had someone broken into his hideout?

“‘Bout time you woke up. Jesus, has anyone ever told you that you snore like a fuckin’ jackhammer?” Ivan complained, rubbing his eyes as he leaned back in the booth and stretched. Right. Doggie could only remember bits and pieces of how exactly they’d wound up here through the headache that was starting to hit. 

“Shut up! Not like you were much better.” Doggie could feel a large wet spot on his shoulder and grimaced. “Least I didn’t drool all over ya. Sure you’re not the one we should be callin’ Dog?” Ivan groaned, nose scrunching up.

“Whatever. You got any water here? Feel like I got shot in the head.” That made two of them. 

“Move your ass and I’ll get some.” Thankfully, Ivan didn’t protest as he slid out of the chair, dragging his feet as he went to go sit at the counter again. Doggie grabbed both of their canteens and ducked into the room behind the bar, making his way over to one of the large barrels he kept stored in the back. He pried off the lid of one, taking his time filling the two bottles as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

Nothing had really  _ happened _ last night, that Doggie could remember. Ivan had probably just been as touch starved as he was. They were drunk, and so they uncomfortably cuddled and fell asleep sitting up. It wasn’t like they’d kissed or anything. ...Probably. Doggie was pretty sure he’d remember if they had. Not that he  _ wanted  _ to kiss him, either, so it was good that they hadn’t. The only thing he still had to worry about was whatever else Ivan wanted him to do with his stupid prize. 

He took a long drink of water from his own bottle, trying to steady himself before heading back out. He refilled it again before sealing the barrel shut once more, and made his way back out to see Ivan staring hard down at the counter. He wasn’t quite sure what that look meant, but it was gone as soon as the other could hear his approach.

“Here,” Doggie tossed the canteen over to him, smirking as Ivan fumbled it for a moment before gripping it securely. 

“...Thanks.” Ivan tipped the bottle toward him before uncapping it and throwing his head back for a drink. Doggie looked at the exposed column of his neck, watching his adam’s apple bob with each gulp before he shook himself out of it and moved to sit down. 

“So where are ya headed next?” Doggie asked, taking another drink. The water was room temperature, and he once again wished they had even a single cube of ice. 

“Guess that depends on you.” When Doggie cocked his head in confusion, Ivan continued. “You still have to do whatever I say, right? Then it’s about time you tell me that rumor you heard about Red.” Doggie had been hoping he’d forgotten about that.

“I’m telling ya he’s probably not gonna be there,” Doggie sighed. The hard look Ivan was giving him told him he didn’t care. “One of the guys who came to town about four days ago said they’d heard from someone else that there’d been sightings of a red-eyed zombie out near Revtown.”

“Four days ago…” Ivan mumbled to himself, staring down at his canteen. 

“Right. So even  _ if _ this secondhand story was true, there’s a good chance that Red’s moved on by now.” It’d be a fool’s errand to go out there. “And ya know as much as I do that the cleaning crews haven’t been able to get a foothold near Revtown in a long time. The place is a hotbed for undead activity.” 

“But he might still be there.” Ivan’s demeanor had grown cold, not much of a trace left of the guy who’d been drinking with him last night. Not that that was news to Doggie; Ivan always got like this when thoughts of avenging his younger brother boiled to the surface. “Thanks, Doggie. We’ll have to finish that bottle when I get back.”

“You’re not seriously going there, are ya? There’s no way he’s still there. He doesn’t keep to one place long, especially if there aren’t any humans to hunt. You should know that by now.” Ivan’s glare snapped back to him.

“But what if he is? He’s not  _ always  _ predictable! That’s why it’s so hard to track him down!” Ivan wasn’t backing down. Doggie felt a chill run down his spine. “I’m going.”

“Just gonna get yourself killed out there.” Doggie growled, reaching out to place a firm hand on Ivan’s shoulder. But he knew it was a lost cause. Ivan had such a one track mind when it came to Red. “I don’t wanna see one of my best customers die in a ditch because of some half-assed info I dug up.” As expected, Ivan shrugged him off as he stood up, though he did seem to hesitate for a moment. 

“Not your fault what I choose to do with that info, y’know. Don’t worry about me.” That was becoming harder to do than Doggie had realized. Especially after last night. Maybe if he said something, Ivan would stay? But there was a lump in his throat. He didn’t know what he  _ would  _ say even if he could. “If he’s not there, I’m not sticking around. I’ll be back before you know it. Still gotta use up the rest of my victory time, yeah?” Ivan threw him one more cocksure grin before belting up with his weapons and leaving the room.

Doggie stared after him, looking at the empty doorway as he heard Ivan unbolting the entrance and the dull thud of the door once it closed behind him. 

“Fuck.” 

Doggie was a coward. And an idiot. It was stupid of an information broker to get so invested in a single customer. Especially in this world. Especially one who seemed to have a bit of a death wish. He’d honestly been surprised Ivan had lasted as long as he had so far. He wouldn’t be the first client of his to die, and he probably wouldn’t be the last. 

That thought didn’t help at all. 

Doggie glanced down at his hand; the one Ivan had clasped when he’d helped him off the floor last night. He’d probably never feel that warmth again. He should have tried harder to stop him. He smacked his head into the counter, hard, with a swear. Idiot. 

* * *

After a half an hour had passed, Doggie had made up his mind. He’d have a ways to walk, but he wasn’t going to leave Ivan to his fate. The loyalty of one lonely dog to another, he supposed. Hopefully he’d get there in time. He packed some first aid and a few other supplies into his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as he picked up his trusty bat from its resting spot near the counter. Just in case, he also strapped up his pistol; it was only for emergencies, as he didn’t have many rounds and wanted to save them if he could, but it was hard to predict what the area would have in store for them if Ivan was still alive.

He covered the entrance to his hideout as quickly as he could before taking off at a brisk jog. He had to move quickly if he wanted to make it in time, but if he went all out from the start he’d be useless by the time he caught up to Ivan. It’d been some time since he’d headed out of the city proper, but he was no slouch when it came to a fight. He’d never been out near Revtown himself, but he knew where it was on the map and it wasn’t too far away from town. The proximity is what made the strong undead presence there so unsettling. As Doggie made his way toward his destination he confirmed he was on the right trail when, every now and then, an undead corpse with a few bullets in its head littered the dirt road. At least it looked like Ivan had been okay as he’d traveled the open wasteland. 

It was when he got closer to town he started getting anxious. There were fewer bodies the closer he got, and he wasn’t sure if that meant there had just been fewer undead in that immediate area, or he hadn’t been able to take them out as they’d pursued him into town. There weren’t any mangled bodies that were still human, nor any sign of a struggle, so Doggie at least had the comfort of knowing they hadn’t killed and eaten him at this point of his journey. 

After about twenty minutes had passed he’d managed to reach the entrance to the abandoned town without much incident, and that was almost more suspicious than anything else. There had still been no sign of Ivan, and aside from a few more zombie corpses, no other signs of life. Maybe Ivan would be fine out here after all.

“Mmmm..? A snack?” A raspy voice hissed from his right. A zombie shambled out of a ramshackle house, its pink eyes trained directly on Doggie. With a sudden increase in speed and its mouth wide open the zombie screeched and bolted toward him as Doggie tightened his grip on his bat. 

“Not today,” he hissed, digging his foot into the ground and taking a mighty swing at the zombie as it entered his range. There was a sickening crack as the bat connected with its head, sending the zombie sprawling to the ground with a moan. It shook as it tried to regain its senses, but Doggie wasted no time in landing another precise blow and it crumpled, unmoving. He huffed, wiping the sweat from his brow as he assessed his surroundings. There didn’t seem to be any other undead in the immediate area, but last he’d heard this place was crawling with them and there was no way Ivan would be able to deal with that many himself. 

As he began cautiously moving further into town, the sound of gunfire echoed through the quiet air and he froze against the house he’d been moving behind. Another blast echoed off of the dilapidated buildings, and from what Doggie could gauge, the following shots sounded like they were coming east of his current position.  _ Better hold on until I get there, idiot..! _

Doggie slinked his way in the direction of the gunfire and wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t being assaulted by any other undead; likely because they all had the same idea as him and were heading toward Ivan’s position as well. Once they met up, it was gonna get ugly. Doggie glanced down at the pistol he’d strapped on for a moment before tightening his grip on his bat as he broke out into a sprint. As the blasts increased in volume and frequency he heard Ivan’s unintelligible shouting as well as the cries and growls and taunts of an unknown amount of the undead. Shit. He burst through a row of hedges and tore down the street, stealth forgotten as he moved as fast as he could. There was a zombie just ahead of him moving in the same direction, and he took a hard swing and sent it flying as he slowed briefly before taking off again. 

As he turned the corner onto the next street he nearly tripped over a zombie corpse as he saw them; Ivan, in the center of a group of about six undead. Two were collapsed on the ground grabbing at his boots while the others attempted to assault him from other angles. He must have needed to reload, because he was doing what he could to beat them back with the butt of his pistol but there were definitely a few gashes on his arms and the blood that caked his skin sent a chill through Doggie.

“Ivan!” With that shout the whole group turned to look at him, Ivan looking like he’d seen a ghost. 

“Doggie!?” And with that, two of the zombies that had been attacking Ivan ran toward him instead. 

“Don’t just stand there with your mouth open, idiot!” Doggie took a swing at one of the approaching zombies, knocking it into the other one and they went sprawling to the ground with their momentum. That action snapped Ivan back to attention as he pistol whipped the zombie that was still clawing at him and it staggered back. Doggie ran toward the last one that was still attacking as the other two he’d hit slowly began to recover, cracking it over the head as Ivan reloaded his pistol. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ivan croaked, kicking one of the zombies that clung to his boots off before cleanly shooting it in the head. 

“I knew ya’d wind up like this,” Doggie chided, beating the other zombie off of Ivan’s other leg as Ivan fired at the zombie that Ivan had knocked to the ground a moment ago. Gratefully, they both stopped moving as the final two zombies were now back on their feet and running toward them again. They just never learned. What a terrible fate, to be driven only by hunger. 

“You didn’t have to come out here.” Ivan gritted his teeth as he fired at the oncoming zombies, hitting both in their legs so they spilled to the ground. Doggie walked over to finish them both off with his bat while they were incapacitated. Ugh, it was starting to get pretty nasty. He’d have to clean it up if they made it back.  _ When.  _

“We’ll talk later. We’ve got incoming.” Doggie jerked his head behind Ivan, who turned to see four more zombies heading toward them. 

“They just keep coming,” Ivan hissed, managing to hit one in the head while missing the other he’d been aiming for. 

“I  _ told  _ ya this was a hotbed for activity. But did ya listen to me?” Doggie growled, chest heaving with exertion as he moved to stand near Ivan. This was getting exhausting quickly. “The sound of your gun’s gonna attract every undead within a mile.” He grabbed Ivan’s arm, tugging him back the way they came. They both grimaced as Doggie realized he’d gripped his injury, letting go quickly once he made sure Ivan was following him. “Let’s head to one of the houses near the entrance to town. We can use the front door as a chokepoint and take out any stragglers who come in after us.”

“Not a bad idea for a mutt,” Ivan agreed, throwing Doggie an annoying grin as he turned to glare at him. He must not have been too badly injured if he was still joking around like that. They were still a decent pace ahead of the zombies that were still following them, but Doggie was starting to feel the exertion in his legs. Ivan was slowing down too, and he must have been worse off since he’d been out here longer than Doggie had been in addition to his injuries.

“Keep goin’,” Doggie urged, trying to ignore the feeling of Ivan’s wet blood still on his hand, “Not much farther.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ivan panted, exhaustion and pain etched into his face as he clenched his teeth. He heaved as he tried to pick up the pace, and Doggie could see the house that the first zombie had come out of when he’d arrived. That would be their best bet. He waved Ivan over and he let Ivan go inside first before following behind him. He glanced behind them one more time to see that three more zombies had joined their pursuit. Great. 

Once they were both inside they quickly turned and Doggie lifted his bat into a swinging position as Ivan trained his freshly reloaded pistol on the open door frame. In a matter of seconds the first zombie burst through and was swiftly gunned down by Ivan. Just as it hit the ground two more zombies came dashing through the door. Ivan caught one of them while Doggie smacked the other one in the chest with his bat. It hit the floor and he beat the head a couple of times as he heard Ivan fire a few more rounds into the zombie he had knocked back as well as it collapsed with a dull thud and a hiss. 

It was quiet for a few moments and Doggie was beginning to wonder if the other three had wandered off. Of course, in their situation, there could be no such luck as two more came screeching through the threshold. Doggie knocked one back and kicked it to the ground as the other scurried toward Ivan. There was a shot fired but it missed and Ivan swore as the zombie clawed at him. He held his arms up to try and block the worst of it, but as they tore through the skin on his arms he couldn’t muffle his yell of pain. It really must have hurt, because Doggie heard his gun clatter to the ground less than a second later.

“Shit!” Doggie left the one on the floor as it began staggering to its feet as he charged and tackled the zombie that had attacked Ivan. He managed to knock it free of him and he clobbered it with his bat, not hard enough to kill it but enough to stun it for a few moments. It was at that moment that Doggie heard another voice outside; the other zombie he’d spotted following them. This was bad. “Get back, Ivan!”

Doggie could tell there was a retort on the tip of the man’s tongue but after a moment he followed orders as Doggie took one hand off his bat to draw out his own pistol. His panic was telling him to shoot at one of the two zombies that were already in the room, but he held his ground until the final zombie came stumbling through the door. With one bullet it stopped to clutch at its wound, its scream silenced with a second bullet right between the eyes. Doggie’s eyes whipped between the other two zombies, hissing out a quick breath through his nose as he bit down on the barrel of his pistol. The metal was cold and tasted of grime as he settled his bat back into his hands, knocking the closest zombie back to the floor again before the zombie across the room finished recovering and dashed at him again.

His growl was muffled by the gun in his mouth, taking another heavy swing at the zombie that had charged him. His stomach churned as its head went sailing off of its shoulders, dark blood spurting over him as both parts of it hit the ground with a loud thump. He could hear Ivan’s pained groans behind him and he bit down on the gun harder, turning to beat what was left of the final zombie to a bloody pulp. He kept his eyes trained on the doorway, slowly stepping closer to it. Were there any more? He kept his back to the wall, carefully glancing around the corner of the doorframe. There didn’t appear to be any in the immediate vicinity of the house. He finally took the gun out of his mouth, the taste of iron still strong in his mouth as he slid it back into his holster.

“Hold on, Ivan, I’ll be there in a sec.” Doggie wasted no time as he grabbed the beaten up sofa that had been knocked over and shoved into a corner and dragged it over to the doorframe and set it up. He glanced around, and most of the other furniture in the room was too broken down to use. This would have to do. It wouldn’t fully stop anything coming into the house, but it would at least slow them down and give him enough time to react. 

“So damn slow,” Ivan hissed, and Doggie made it to his side in a few quick strides. He took a deep breath, trying not to panic as he assessed the damage.

“Shut up. Conserve your strength,” Doggie mumbled back, carefully taking Ivan’s hands as he turned his arms over. He winced as he noticed just how deep some of the gashes were. These would take weeks to heal. He carefully set them down as he shrugged off his pack, digging around until he found his canteen and the fairly clean rag he’d packed.

“Still don’t know why you came out here. I was handling myself fine,” Ivan muttered, swearing loudly as Doggie poured the water over his wounds. 

“Right.” Doggie wasn’t convinced. “Pretty sure ya’d be zombie food out on the pavement if I hadn’t come to save your sorry ass.” He poured the rest of the water onto the cloth before gently beginning to dab at the wounds. 

“Didn’t really answer me, but okay.” Ivan thankfully was forced to keep his mouth closed as Doggie carefully cleaned his wounds, only hissing out curses when Doggie pressed a little too hard. Every few minutes Doggie’s eyes would flicker toward the entrance, but thankfully it still seemed to be quiet for the moment.

“Gonna have to take it easy for a while. If ya get attacked again in this state it’s not gonna be good.” He wrung out the cloth on the ground next to them, trying not to stare too hard at the blood-muddied water that came pouring out as he set to work on his other arm. 

“You’re joking, right? I can’t just sit around and do nothing for a month. Who knows where the hell Red’ll end up by then?” Doggie pressed harder at that and Ivan choked out another swear. “Be careful, asshole!”

“He obviously wasn’t here, and there haven’t been any other sightings recently anyway. If ya keep on like this ya really  _ will  _ get killed next time.” He couldn’t just run after him like this again; he really shouldn’t have come this time. 

“Why do you even care?” Why  _ did  _ he care? He’d gotten far too invested in Ivan’s quest and his well being. And for what, an occasional drink with the man? The occasional touch? His skin still burned in all of the places Ivan had touched him last night. He wished he could blame being touch starved in the middle of a zombie apocalypse for the warmth that welled up inside him as he regarded Ivan’s question. 

“Hard to say.” And it was. There was no point to admitting how he felt. Wasn’t like that’d change anything for Ivan. Not his goals. Not his recklessness. “Guess I’d miss a drinking buddy.” That was at least part of the truth. That drew a raspy laugh from Ivan as Doggie set the cloth aside and dug back into his pack for the gauze he’d tucked inside. 

“Dogs are loyal to a fault, huh?” Ivan chuckled, grin widening as Doggie threw him a glare before getting back to wrapping his wounds. It was quiet again, and it wasn’t long before Doggie finished bandaging up his arms and packed the rest of his supplies away. 

“Think ya can move soon?” Doggie asked, glancing again toward the doorway. It still seemed quiet enough, but that didn’t make him feel much better. The quicker they left here and got back to town the better.

“Might still need a minute,” Ivan replied, gingerly moving his arms around just enough to test the bandages. “It’ll be tough to shoot like this.”

“I’ve got it handled. Ya cleared out a pretty decent path on the way in, so it shouldn’t be too hard to make it back without too much action.” He’d wound up having to use a few precious bullets, but it was better than heading home alone. 

“...Thanks.” it was muttered so quietly Doggie had thought he’d imagined it. But when he turned to look back at Ivan, he wouldn’t meet his gaze. It was almost cute. Almost. Doggie turned to keep an eye on the door again, but as he’d finished moving there was a tug on his sleeve.

“What, are the bindings too tight? I can--” Doggie hadn’t been expecting Ivan to be so close when he’d moved to face him again. Without another word Ivan’s grip on his sleeve tightened and he closed the short gap between them. Doggie’s eyes widened as their lips met, and it was like a dam broke inside him. 

He wrapped his arms around Ivan and pulled him close as he squeezed his eyes shut, and Ivan took that as a chance to kiss him properly. His lips were rough but they were pliant against Doggie’s, and it didn’t take them long to find a rhythm they could both follow. The adrenaline that still pounded through his veins after the attack found a new outlet as he kissed Ivan like this would be the last time. It very well could be, with how unpredictable their upcoming journey could be. His tongue swiped Ivan’s bottom lip and he made a quiet sound as he opened his mouth just enough to let it slide inside. 

It wasn’t the most pleasant taste, but the sensation of their tongues brushing together in their desperation drew a low groan out of Doggie. The hand on his sleeve started to rise, to slide around his neck, but the motion must have been too much for his injury because Ivan flinched back and away as the kiss broke. They both caught their breath, still close as Ivan’s hot breath tickled Doggie’s nose. 

“We should probably go before it gets too late,” Ivan said, the words taking a moment to filter through Doggie’s clouded mind. 

“Right. Yeah.” That was about all his mind could come up with as he slowly released Ivan, standing with a sigh as the tension was broken. He held his hand out to the man on the floor, returning his soft smile as he clasped it and heaved him to his feet. Ivan winced at the pressure on his arm, but seemed okay once he was on his feet. Doggie closed his pack and slung it back over his shoulders before grabbing his bat from its resting spot on the ground, as well as Ivan’s pistol. He slid it into Ivan’s holster before going to slide the couch away from the door. 

“Stick behind me and don’t fight unless we’re about to die. Got it?” Ivan rolled his eyes but still nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” 

Doggie motioned for Ivan to stay in the house as he slinked out, observing the immediate area. Aside from the corpses already strewn about the ground, there didn’t appear to be any  _ living  _ dead around. Ivan joined him shortly afterward as he led the way out of town. 

“Once we get back I’ll have to look around for a place to stay,” Ivan sighed, glancing down at his bandaged arms. “This is gonna suck.”

“No need. Ya can stay at my place,” Doggie replied. Ivan looked at him wide eyed. “Shut up. It’s not a grand hotel or nothin’, but at least you can rest in peace.”

“Somehow I got a feeling that’ll be half true,” Ivan chuckled. Doggie took a moment to realize what that meant, clicking his tongue as he turned to keep his eyes on the road again. He could already feel his face burning. 

“I’m not gonna mess with ya if that’s what you’re thinking!” Ivan slowly and carefully reached up to flick his ear and Doggie flinched. 

“And what if I want you to?” That...wasn’t the answer Doggie had been expecting. He’d been sure that kiss had only been because of their near brush with death. Not because of any mutual feelings between them. 

“That’s different, I guess.” They couldn’t do anything too rough while Ivan was healing, but a kiss or two probably wouldn’t affect his recovery. Or twenty. 

“Guess it wouldn’t hurt to stay for a while then,” Ivan agreed. “Better plug your nose when you go to sleep, though. No way in hell am I gonna get better if I have to listen to your undead-waking snoring every night.” 

Doggie gave his shoulder a light shove, and something in his stomach fluttered briefly when that got a laugh out of Ivan. Gross. “Fuck off. Ya can stay somewhere else if it bothers ya so much!”

“Not like I got anywhere else to go!” 

That’s what Doggie thought. It wasn’t like the guy made many friends, with how often he drifted in and out of town. They were alike in that regard. It was easier to do business with people if he didn’t get too attached. But here he was, far too attached to the man at his side for his own good. Two lonely dogs who sometimes found a companion in each other.

“I’ve still got the rest of the day to make you do whatever I want, y’know. Maybe you should be a little nicer to the injured guy.” Ivan nudged him right back. 

“And I can kick ya right out after that so I’d watch it if I were you.” Ivan could probably call his bluff. He was grateful when all he did was click his tongue. 

Things were quiet for a while. Thankfully, the only undead Doggie had spotted on the way were the corpses Ivan had left in his wake earlier. They did have one run-in, but it was dealt with quickly after a couple of swings of his bat. Thankfully, the entrance to town was rapidly approaching and he was ready to lie down and sleep for about three days. 

“Hey.” Ivan was quiet; Doggie had almost missed that he’d spoken up. Doggie turned to him, nodding his acknowledgement. “Can you close your eyes a sec?” 

That was a weird request. Doggie’s brow furrowed but Ivan rolled his eyes. 

“Just do it, Doggie. Are you forgetting who’s making the rules today?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it," Doggie sighed. He closed them without much fanfare. “We should really get into town though. This can’t wait?”

“Nope.” Ivan’s voice came from right in front of him. Anticipation crawled through Doggie, though he wasn’t really sure what it was he was anticipating. He made a muffled sound of surprise as a pair of lips brushed over his own. Far gentler than before, but still firm and with purpose. It lasted only a couple of seconds before Ivan pulled away. 

He heard the sound of footsteps moving away, dirt crunching under boots as he opened his eyes again to see Ivan’s back as he walked forward. 

“...That’s it?” Doggie found himself saying, wincing internally at that. Sounded too vulnerable in his ears.

“You’re the one who wanted to get back to town, right? Let’s go, then.” Ivan glanced over his shoulder, a knowing look on his face. How annoying. 

“ _ Now  _ ya listen to me.” Doggie gave Ivan his best unimpressed look as the other man laughed and turned forward again as Doggie stepped after him. 

Even when they got there, they probably weren’t going to talk about whatever this was. Doggie was okay with that though. He also knew that the moment he was better, Ivan would leave again in search of Red. That was fine, too. He didn’t need a label for whatever turn their relationship had just taken. It would be enough for him to be able to find a brief respite when Ivan blew back into town. Loyal to a fault, he’d said. Maybe so. 

But that was okay.


End file.
